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The Reference Point Golf Swing Trainer is an economical, portable, easy to use device that provides the user with a reference point to train the muscles used in the golf swing.
It is a well established fact that a consistent and repeatable golf swing is the result of physical ability, proper training, and practice. Volumes have been written about the subject and thousands of golf professionals teach the elements of the golf swing every day.
There are many devices sold to train the golfer in the art of swinging the golf club. These devices range in complexity from a broken golf club shaft that can be stuck in the ground as a reference point to an expensive system of cables, straps, poles and brackets that are intended to control the actions of the user through a range of motion. In the visual spectrum, training aids range from a full length mirror to professional video systems that allow the golfer to compare their swing to an electronic model. There are also audible devices to detect head movement and swing path.
Professional golf instructors employ many techniques in their efforts to teach the golf swing;
Keep Your Head Steady, Senior Golf, March 1996, page 45; Brad Brewer holds the grip end of a club against the forehead of his students to help them monitor head movement during the golf swing.
Tips From The Tour, Golf Digest, January 1998, page 66; Catrona Maththews holds the bill of the students baseball cap to stabilize the students head during the golf swing.
Instant Lesson, Golf Digest, February 1997, page 51; Murry St. Onge suggests using a ski pole stuck in the ground to provide a reference to monitor head movement during the swing.
Wrong Turn, Golf Digest/Total Golf, page 131; Mark Steinbauer uses two club shafts stuck in the ground to check hip slide during the swing.
The Key To Distance: Swing Down In Sequence, Golf Digest/Total Golf, page 7; Scott Davenport uses a club shaft to observe hip slide and rotation during the swing.
Make A Powerful Pivot, Golf Digest/Total Golf, page 63; Hank Johnson uses the edge of a table to teach hip stabilization during the back swing.
One Move For Power, Golf Digest/Total Golf, pages 106 and 107; Chuck Cook uses a range ball basket or a bunker rake between the knees to monitor knee movement during the swing.
So You Want Perfection?, Golf Magazine. July 1994, page 73; Hank Johnson sticks a club shaft in the ground to teach his students the proper take away on the back swing.
The Right Way To Use Your Arms, Golf Digest/Total Golf, page 49; Mitchell Spearman uses a golf bag as a reference point to teach the back swing.
Space Out Your Swing, Golf Digest/Total Golf, page 75; Tim Mahoney sits on a bag rack to monitor the flex in his knees during the golf swing.
Catalog Of Drills, Golf Tips, March 1998, Page 113; David Leadbetter sits on the back of a lawn chair to monitor the flex in his knees during the golf swing.
Is your Swing Plane Too Steep? Golf Digest/Total Golf, page 43; Tim Mahoney use a golf bag with a built-in stand as a reference for the proper golf swing plane.
How To Swing From In To Square, Golf Digest/Total Golf, page 49; Mitchell Spearman uses a club laid across the top of a golf bag as a focus point to practice the path his hands must follow to create the desired swing.
Some professional golfers endorse devices that are advertised to teach the perfect swing and lower your score;
David Leadbetter demonstrates and promotes xe2x80x9cThe Coach,xe2x80x9d which is a platform with a spring pole and cable that attaches to a stick like device which the golfer swings to xe2x80x9cdevelop consistent actionxe2x80x9d.
Jack Nicklaus endorses the xe2x80x9cSound Advice,xe2x80x9d an electronic device that slips over the golf club grip. It beeps to analyze and pin point swing faults.
Peter Kostis promotes the xe2x80x9cSwing Shaper,xe2x80x9d which is a set of rails that is designed to give the user a feel for the golf swing by forcing the user to swing between the rails.
Gary Player sells xe2x80x9cThe Gary Player Swing Trainer,xe2x80x9d a device that straps to the right handed golfer""s left arm and xe2x80x9cgets you in the hit zone.xe2x80x9d
John Daly endorses xe2x80x9cThe Power Grove,xe2x80x9d a large base and pole with a cord that attaches to the golf club shaft, forcing the user to swing in a fixed path.
There are several video systems available. Most golfers cannot afford to buy one because they are very expensive. They are usually found at teaching centers, operated by professional instructors.
All of the above devices, techniques and systems are intended to teach the golfer to swing the club in a manner that will produce a repeatable swing that produces solid contact between the club head and the ball, resulting in consistent distance and direction of the golf ball. No doubt each of these devices have benefits if used frequently in the manner prescribed.
The disadvantages are as varied as there are devices. Some are very expensive and difficult to assemble, others are not portable enough for convenient use and most are restrictive and cumbersome when used. The most objectionable feature of many is that they do not take into consideration that everyone has different abilities and physical limits. They train the swing by forcing the user to perform the complete swing or a portion thereof in a restricted manner.
Even the casual observer can see that professional golfers have individual quirks in the their swing. This is why good teaching professionals do not make immediate drastic changes in a students natural swing, but make slight adjustments to maximize their natural abilities. As a result, the teaching professional, will use golf shafts, tables, chairs, golf bags, ski poles, holding cap bills, the butt of a club to the forehead and other readily available items to give the student a focus point to practice the golf swing.
The Reference Point Golf Swing Trainer (RPGST), consists of one adjustable leg, two fixed length legs, connected together by an elastic xe2x80x9cOxe2x80x9d ring, a counter weight on the base end of the adjustable leg, and a focus point on the other. When extended, the adjustable leg is eighty four inches long. It is twenty five inches long when collapsed and fits in a carrying pouch for ease of portability and storage. It is very affordable, easy to assemble and easy to use.
The purpose of the invention is to give the golfer a reference point at strategic points when practicing the golf swing. The invention will allow a golfer to train the muscles used in various elements of the golf swing to consistently repeat the desired movements without conscious effort or assistance. It may be used anywhere there is room to safely swing a golf club indoors or outdoors.
The RPGST may be used to monitor head movement, hip slide, knee movement, knee flex, takeaway on the back swing, head movement while putting, to grove an inside to out swing path and establish a swing gate for the hands. It may also be setup to monitor other elements of the swing that will benefit from the golfers attention.